Doom 4 is postponed for the time being

Sources are whispering that they have learned Zenimax and Bethesda have told id that Doom 4 is indefinitely postponed for the time being, due to a lack of confidence of the project management at id Software.

The causes for this lack of confidence are the reviews and issues surrounding the release of Rage. According to our sources, Zenimax and Bethesda want to conduct a more in-depth review of the Doom 4 project and get a better handle on the title, where it is going, and what the finished product is going to be like before giving the green light to proceed.

The reviews of Rage have at least raised a number of serious questions about id Software’s latest title. While a number of these comments in the reviews might be nothing more than the reviewer’s perception of the title, a case could be made for the title not living up to the playability hype while the actual engine does deliver the goods.

Some are now calling it an elaborate technology demo for an engine that is not going to be licensed. This isn’t an opinion we share, but nonetheless Rage has missed the mark with reviewers; and that is something that Zenimax and Bethesda don’t want to happen with Doom 4.